Washing-machine.



J. P. DORAU.

WASHINQ, MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED ocT. 25.11915.

1,215,501. Patented Feb,13,1917.

IN VEN TUR MRM ` WM] TM ATTQQN/w OFFICE.

JOHN P. DOBAU, F JEFFERSON, WISCONSIN.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Application med october as, 1915. serial no. 57,6583.

To all 'whom t may concern: i

Be it known that I, JOHN P. Donau, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Jefferson, in the county of .Je'erson and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Washing-Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the acoompanyin drawings, whirh are a part of vthis spec' cation.

The invention relates to Washing machines.

The invention is designed more particularly to provide a new and improved means for simultaneously pounding and agitating the clothes and means for operating said pounder and a 'taton In practice t e usual pounder operates to force air into the Vclothes on its-downward stroke and thus drive the water downward through them and on its upward stroke to suck the air driven into the clothes from them andA thus draw the water upwardl through them. V

The present invention has for its object to provide a pounder which operates somewhat dierent from the ordinary pounder in that on its downward stroke it forces air and water into and through the clothes and on its upward stroke by reason of a ,valve within it air is vpermitted to enter into the pounder above the clothes and thus prevent any suction or vacuum tendency of the pounder to carry the clothes upward with it and to draw the water and dirt backward through the clothes.

The invention is further designed to providean agitator for the clothes consisting of a plurality of blades pivotally secured to the shaft upon which the pounder is mounted.

The invention is further designed to provide mechanism for imparting a vertically reciprocatin motion to the pounder during an alternate y reversed horizontally oscillat.

in motion of said pounder.

he invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularlfy defined by claims at the conclusioii hereo In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the device embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the line' 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of a modified form of combined pounder and agitator;

Fig. 4is a detail view of another modied form of combined pounder and agitator;

Specication of Letters Patent.

APatenten Feb. 13,

Fig. 5 isa detail plan view of a'modified l forlnof pounder.

In general, the washing machine consists of a tub or clothes receptacle 6 of usual construction, a vertically disposed shaft 7 'jourconsistsof a'segm'ental gear 9 mounted on l. an` oscillating lever 10 journaled on a shaft 10 mounted on a bracket 11 secured-to the tub 6, a bevel gear 12 in mesh with the gear v9 and mounted on a shaft 13 journaled in abracket 14 on the cover 8 and a driving con? nection between said shaft 13 and the shaft 7. The driving connection consists of a collar 15 provided with anfextension 16Il having a bore therein in which the enlarged rounded end 17 of the shaft '13 is slidably and rotatably mounted. The end 18 of the shaft 13 is angularly inclinedwith respect to that portion journaled in the bracket 14 and when the shaft 13 is alternately'reversely rotated through the gears 9 and 12 it will, through the driving connection just described, impart a vertically reciprocating and alternately reversed horizontallyrecip-v rocating movement to the shaft 7 Means are provided for imparting 'the necessaryk momentum to the operating mechanism comprising a fly-wheel 19 removably mounted on a shaft 20 secured to the bottom of the tub and carrying a gear 21 which is in mesh with a gear 22 also revolubly sor mounted on the bottom of the tub and means v connecting, said gear 22 with the operatin lever 10 to continuously rotate said gear and {1y-wheel 19. This connecting means consists of a pitman 23 pivotally and eccentrically connected at one end to the gear 22 and p ivotally connected at the other end to the lower end of a lever 24 which is pivotally connected intermediate its ends to a bracket 25 mounted in the side of the tub and which is slidably and pivotally connected at its upper end with the lever 10 by a connection consisting of an enlarged rounded end portion 26 and a cylindrical bore 27 forming a part of the lever 10. As a result of this connection between the lever 10 Aand the fly-wheel 19, the oscillation of the lever 10 will impart a continuous rotation to the ily-wheel which will provide suiiicient momentum for the-operating mechanism so as to insure its proper operation.

Having described the machine in general and the mechanism for operating the vertical agitator and pounder shaft 7, the combined pounder and agitator will now be describe In general, the combined pounder` and agitator consists of a pounder 28 operatively secured to the shaft 7,.a valve for permitting air to enter .within t-he pounder on its upward stroke to prevent a vacuum being formed within the pounder and an agitator consisting of a plurality of blades 29, having rounded ends and pivotally connected to ears 29 on the pounder.

vIn Figs. 1 and 2 the pounder consists of an open bottom casing having a pair of oppositely extending wing portions 30, side walls 31, an enlarged rounded bottom edge 32, and a hub member 33 journaled on the shaft 7 secured thereon by a pin 34 secured to the shaft and disposed between the ears 29 of the pounder.

It will be noted that this pounder differs from the usual form of cone-shaped pounder in that the wings 30 have outer rounded ends 31 which are of greater width than the medial portions adjacent the shaft 7. The advantage of a pounder of this shape is that the greater part of the air within the pounder is "confined at the outer ends and these outer ends constitute the main working portions of the pounders and engage a greater bulk of the clothes, than the ordinary construction of pounder as the greater part of the clothes are disposed between the center and the sides of the tub. The result of this j construction then is that-the greater part of the washing is done at the outer ends of the pounder upon the greater bulk of the clothes and consequently its operation is more eilicient than the usual construction of pounder which operates in the center of the tub upon the least bulk of the clothes. The valve in this construction consists of a plurality of inclined bores, 35 communicating with the interior 36 of the casing and with a conical valve seat 37 in the upper part of said member 33 and a conical valve head 38 mounted on the shaft 7 is adapted to move against said seat and close the openings of the bores 35 thus shutting olf any passage of air from the interior of the pounder through said openings on the downward stroke, but permitting the raising of the valve 38 from its seat 37 on the upward stroke, the hub member 33 being of less length than that portion of the shaft 7 between the collar 34 and the valve head 38. The ears 29 to which the blades 29 are pivotally connected by a shaft or pin 39 are integral with the hub member 33.

In Fig. 3 I use the same kind of pounder casing but employ a modified construction of valve. In this instance the pounder casing is provided with a hub member 40 having a plurality of-inclined Abores 41 meeting at their lower ends and communicating with the interior of t-he pounder through la' central aperture 42 which has a conical valve seat 43 adapted to be engaged bythe conical end 44 of the shaft 7 to shut olf communica# tion from the outside with the interior of f.

the pounder through the opening 42, the shaft 7 being journaled in a threaded vportion 48 of the -hubmember which is in threaded engagement with an ,interiorly' threaded cap 49 in which the shaft is also journaled. A pin is slidabl but nonrotatably mounted in a diametrica ly extending slot.50 in the portion 48, the slots 50 providing fora limited sliding movement of the pin and shaft with respect to the membery 40 which permits the movement of the shaft 7 to open and closethe1 aperture 42.

The blades 29 are connected to the member 40 by ears 29 and shaft 39.

In Fig. 4 I use the same kind of pounder casing` with amodified construction of valve. In this instance the pounder casing is provided with a central aperture 51 and vwith screws 52 mounted in the top of the casing and projecting upwardly therefrom. The shaft 7 is provided with an annular lianged member 53 which is provided with apertures 54 in which the stems 55 of the screws 52 are slidably mounted. The-top of the casing adjacent the aperture 5 forms a flat valve seat 56 and the bottom of the` member 53 is flat vand flush` with theends of the shaft 7 to form a fiat valve headlto shut oil communication between \the'/ interior and exterior of the pounder through the aperture 51. lThe blades 29 are pivotally connected tov the pounder by ears 29 and shaft 39.

In Fig. 5 I have shown amodiied formofl pounder casing in which I employ three radially extending wings 57 which may b ,i used in place of the two winged pounder casing and which would, of course, necessitate a separate pivotal connection for the blades 29 of the agitator. r j

The operation of the device may be briey described as follows On the downward movement of the shaft 7, when the pounder engages the clothes, the

shaft 7 movesv downwardly with respect to the pounder and thus closes the valve and Athe air and water in :the pounder is forced shaft vcauses the opening or closingof the pounder valve. Thus also the combined operation of the pounder operates to drive the. air and water through the clothes to clean them and atI the same timethe horizontal oscillation of the pound@ shaft vmoves the pounder, which is slidably but'non-rotatably connected-thereto, to engage a different portion of the clothes in the tub.

p The invention thus exemplifies a ywashing machine in .which the pounder is provided with an automatically operating air-valve and also one in which the agitator is connected to and operable with the pounder.

'The invention isnot to be'restricted to the details of construction herein set forth,

v'but it is to be understood that the construcvt1on may be Varied so long as it is rwithin the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is l. In a washing machine, the combination,

with a vertically and horizontally reciprocated shaft, of a pounder slidably mounted on saidfshaft to turn therewithand a valve 'operating automatically -to admit air to the .pounder on its upward movement and to exclude air therefrom when the 'pounder strikes the clothes.

2. In a washing machine the combination, with a vertically and horlzontally reciprocated shaft, ofa pounder mounted on said shaft to turn therewith and provided with an opening in its top, and means xedly carried by said shaft operable to close 'said opening on the vdownward movement of the shaft and to open the same on the upward movement thereof for the purpose described.

3. In a washing machine, the combination, with a pounder shaft, of a pounder comprising an open bottom casing, and agitator and a valve Xedly'- carriedv by sai operatedl thereby 'to open andV said blades pivotallyv mountedwithin the hollow of said casing.

4. Ina washmg machine',the combination, Y

'with a vertically and horizontally recipro cated shaft, of a pounder vertically slidably movable with' respect to Vsald shaft andconlnected to turn therewith comprisingan-open bottom casing having an openin in its top shaft and opening'. j l

5. In'a washing machine, thecombination,

withv a vertically reciprocated shaftgwof 'a agitator blades Vpivotally Vmounted within the hollow of the pounder casing.

6. In a washing machine, th combination, with a vertically reciprocated shaft, of a pounder slidably but non-rotatably connected to the lower end of said shaft and p rovided with an opening in its top and havmg a valve seat adjacent saidropening, and a valve head on the lower endvof said shaft co operating with said valve seat.

7. A clothes pounder com rising a movable shaft, a valve member edly mounted on the lower end thereof fand provided with apertures, a pounder comprising an open bottom casing having an opening in its top and a valve seat disposed a member, and fastening means secured to the pounder and slidably mounted in the apertures in the valve member.

In testimony whereof, I ax signature.

vJOHN lgijnomlu,- y

acent said valve 

